Contemporary Design Solutions for an Open-Plan Kitchen and Dining Area

Even those people who don’t like cooking like eating
tasty and delicious and that means we all
deserve a nice kitchen, regardless of our culinary skills. However, not all
kitchens are the same, and the majority of people are looking for practicality
as much as ingenuity. That’s why they insist on connecting their cooking and
dining areas, creating an amazing open-plan area every member of their family –
not to mention their guests – is going to love. If you too want to design such
an area, here are a few ideas that might help you.

Connecting kitchen island

Everyone loves having a kitchen island and
this is probably one of the most practical and functional parts of every modern
kitchen. This is where you can prepare and serve your food, as well as use that extra space for storing your
pots and pans. But, when you’re creating an open-plan area, such an island can
serve another purpose and connect your kitchen to the dining room.

Placing a kitchen island right between these
two areas will help you utilize every inch of space it has, and you’ll be able
to approach it from both sides. The side closer to your kitchen can be used for
preparing the food, and you can equip the other side with some bar stools, connect
it to a table and use it for eating.
This is particularly useful if you have lots of people over and the dining room
can’t accommodate all of them.

Unifying colour scheme

If you really want to connect your kitchen and
dining room into a single unit, you need to pay attention to the colour scheme as well. This is the easiest yet
most effective way to create a huge open-plan space and blend everything
together, and the best thing about it is that you can do all the work yourself.

Even though most people don’t like painting,
applying a new coat of paint on your walls is actually more than they can
imagine – all you need is a few hours of free time, a bucket of paint and a few
brushes. You can even invite a couple of friends over and turn this project
into a fun time you can enjoy with your buddies.

Fix the floors

Most kitchens are equipped with ceramic tiles
and the dining rooms with hardwood flooring, and this could be quite a problem
when trying to mix these two into one distinct space. One of the ways to do
that is by installing brand new floors in the entire open-space area and opt
for materials that will work well in the kitchen and the dining room at the
same time.

Cork, bamboo, and
vinyl are among the most practical and easy-to-maintain materials for your
floors, so take them into consideration first. Don’t forget to add some rugs,
though, especially if you prefer walking barefoot. A visually appealing modern rug can also add some charm to your new cooking and dining space, so be sure
to find one that matches your colour
scheme and works for you the most.

Using the same materials

Both your kitchen and your dining room feature
tons of different surfaces – from your countertops and your cabinets to your
cupboards to your dining room table – and using the same material is another
way to put these two areas together. Though most people prefer quartz and
marble for their kitchen countertops, these materials can turn out to be too
different from the rest of your new kitchen/dining room area, so going in
another direction might be a better idea.

Using wood, for instance, could be a good solution
– not only do wooden
countertops look amazing and unusual, but wooden cabinets are what most
people are already using. The same goes for your dining room furniture, i.e. your
table and your cabinets, so using this material is probably the easiest way to
solve all your problems.

Turning your kitchen and dining room into one
open-plan area could seem like the hardest thing in the world, but if you know
what you’re trying to achieve and aren’t afraid of experimenting, you could easily
create a cosy, inviting and welcoming space
everyone in your family is going to love.